Dear Colleagues,
Please consider the postdoc position described below, and/or please share this with colleagues who may be interested.
Wishing health and safety to all,
Hannah Sevian
Professor of Chemistry
UMass Boston
--------------
Postdoctoral Researcher – Non-Benefited
General Summary of Position
This is a postdoctoral researcher position split-funded by two grants from the National Science Foundation, both of which study science and mathematics teachers’ classroom assessment practices. The research employs mixed methods (majority qualitative) in sociocultural and interaction analysis frameworks. One of the grants has developed and implemented a professional development (PD) model for strengthening middle and high school chemistry teachers' formative assessment practices to foster students’ chemical thinking. This grant focuses on the following research questions: (1) How does chemistry teachers' assessment reasoning change through engagement in PD that focuses on formative assessment as a transformative lever? (2) How does engagement in the PD activities influence the chemistry ideas and practices that teachers emphasize in their classrooms? The other grant is a longitudinal study of changes in teacher effectiveness across years, and focuses on the following research questions about K-12 STEM teachers who teach in high-need districts: (1) What are the teachers’ current assessment practices? (2) How have their assessment practices changed from when they began teaching in a high-need district? (3) How do salient retrospective conceptual, pedagogical, cultural, and political challenges negotiated by the teachers explain their current assessment practices and changes over time in their assessment practices? (4) For teachers who have persisted teaching in the partner school district, how do assessment practices relate to student performance outcomes on classroom assessments and to standardized mathematics and science exams? Approaches to studying the research questions of both projects have commonalities in data collected and analysis methods employed, and the postdoc’s work will primarily take place at this intersection. The postdoc will be responsible for a major portion of the data collection, organization, integrity, and analysis to answer the research questions. The postdoc will work with highly collaborative teams in each project. The position is anticipated as lasting two years, concentrating primarily on the first project during the first year, and the second project in the second year. In the first project, the team includes the PI, another postdoc, a graduate student, five teacher leaders, and a school district administrator. In the second project, the team includes the PI, co-PI, another postdoc, and a graduate student.
Context
UMass Boston is the third most diverse college in the US. It is the only majority-minority university in New England, and the only public university in Boston. The two projects to which the postdoc will contribute are situated in a long-standing partnership with Boston Public Schools, an urban public school district, also very diverse and the largest school district in New England. Both projects are located in the Chemistry Department, with close ties to and a co-PI in the Teacher Education program in one of the grants. The PI’s research group currently includes three postdocs, six PhD students in chemistry education, and several undergraduate researchers. The group is very collaborative. At the moment, the entire group is working remotely, meeting frequently online, with no date yet established for return to campus. It is anticipated that the postdoc would begin the position working remotely.
Examples of Duties
- Organize and support videoing in K-12 science and mathematics teachers’ classrooms
- Manage and edit classroom video data, work with participating teachers on commenting on videos
- Apply discourse analysis to study student-student and teacher-student interactions in the videos
- Qualitatively and quantitatively analyze assessment portfolios from teachers, and the progress of their students during teaching units
- Conduct and analyze interviews with teachers about challenges they face in evolving their assessment practices
- Perform quantitative multi-level analyses using state and district student assessment scores and teacher variables
- Support teachers in planning and leading a yearlong peer-led professional development series online with a cohort chemistry teachers from across the US
- Help to maintain online resources for the chemistry teacher project at chemedx.org
- Write, publish, and present research papers
- Follow appropriate ethical methods with data and maintain accurate records for IRB progress reports
- Assist the PI in preparing progress reports for the funding agency
- Mentor graduate and undergraduate researchers working on the project
Minimum Qualifications
- PhD in science education or in chemistry with specialization in discipline-based educational research
- If PhD is in science education, preference for advanced degree (e.g., MS) in chemistry
- Coursework and demonstrated expertise in both qualitative and quantitative educational research methods
- Record of publication in science education and/or chemistry education
- Experience working (e.g., teaching) or substantial volunteer work in K-12 schools
Salary and Benefits
The initial position is a one-year (12 month) appointment with a salary of $47,500. The postdoc is renewable for a second year at the same salary, contingent on high-quality productive work in the first year. The position is non-benefited, however Massachusetts adults are required to have health insurance that meets state standards or face a state tax penalty, and international scholars on visas must maintain health insurance as a condition of visa status. Health insurance is available through the State’s health exchange.
Requested Start Date
June, 2020 (somewhat negotiable)
Work Schedule
This is a full-time position. Full-time expectations (in normal times) are five days per week, usually four of them on campus, and willingness to travel to schools in the greater Boston area to collect data in teachers’ classrooms.
Supervision Received
The postdoc will collaborate with, and be supervised, by the PI of the grants, Dr. Hannah Sevian.
To Apply
Please provide the following items to the PI via email (hannah.sevian@umb.edu):
- A cover letter,
- A curriculum vitae,
- A writing sample (e.g., article published),
- Unofficial or official copies of all undergraduate and graduate school transcripts,
- A list of 2 or 3 people, with their contact information, who are willing to be contacted by the PI to request letters of reference.
The cover letter should explain the applicant’s interest in the position and why they are a good fit for the position, based on alignment with the required qualifications and any other desirable qualifications (e.g., past experience relevant to the job responsibilities). The cover letter should also specify a preferred start date and, if the applicant has not yet received their Ph.D., when they expect to receive it.
Dear Colleagues,
Please consider the postdoc position described below, and/or please share this with colleagues who may be interested.
Wishing health and safety to all,
Hannah Sevian
Professor of Chemistry
UMass Boston